After a very interesting week of, activities, things were finally getting back to normal. as I woke up, I nuzzled Ribbon to try and wake her, we still had to go and get Mirage. Ribbon groaned in disapproval, she did not want to be woken up. I nuzzled her again. “Wake up sleepyhead.”

“Uh, go away. My hips hurt.”

I felt bad about that. I had gotten a little too into it last night and, um… broke Ribbons hip. I apologised, though. “Well yeah, of course they do. Sorry I got so rough last night.” I gave her another nuzzle. “C’mon, we gotta go get Mirage.” She groaned, but started getting out of bed. “You need any help walking?”

She checked the inside of her legs and her flanks, there were light gray lines covering her flanks on either side, right where her cutie-mark would be. “I think I can walk now, still hurts though.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, the plates are pretty much mended together now. I think I have some pain-killers around here, check the bathroom.”

Thank god for painkillers! Walking into the bathroom, I checked the cupboard and smiled upon seeing what I was looking for. Pills here! “Yup, there's some here.” I picked up the bottle, and walked back to Ribbon. “You need a drink or something to wash them down?”

“Yeah.”

I returned to the bathroom to get a glass of water, humming the theme to Mario as I did so. When I returned, I noticed Ribbon giggling. “Something amuse you?”

“You’re blushing, thinking of something naughty?”

“Mayyyybe. Do you think I would make a cute nurse?”

“Roleplaying, huh? I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I guess for you it's like breathing, it's so automatic you never even think about it.”

“I’ll see if maybe Rarity will make a few costumes. She may not like me anymore, but I trust her to keep it hush hush.”

“Speaking of Rarity, perhaps we should talk to her about that. She clammed up the last time we tried, but perhaps knowing that you have Mirage would get her to be a little more open. Cuteness makes mares do weird things.”

“Hey, I resent that!”

I gave Ribbon a knowing look, before my form dissolved, and reformed into a filly version of me. I could still feel myself blushing, but I held a hoof up to my mouth and tilted my head. “You… Don’t think I’m cute?”

Ribbon burst into green flames, when they subsided Luna was left in their wake. Runa quickly scooped me up, giggling to herself. “You are the most adorable nightmare foal EVER!”

“I prove my point.” The fact that I delivered it in a deadpan, squeaky foals voice caused Ribbon to crack up and giggle like a maniac. Once the giggle fits were over, I turned back to my normal size. “Never underestimate the power of cuteness.”

“Fine, I’ll invite Rarity to Canterlot.” Ribbon returned to normal in a burst of flame. “Maybe you’re right and Mirage will help rebuild my relationship with Rarity.”

“I do have to say, that those healed cracks do make you look nice.”

“I didn’t know you were into scars.”

The blush returned, as I tried to get the image of Ribbon covered in sweat and scars, out of my head. “I just feel really mellow right now.”

“Sure. If you want to see these scars long term, you’ll just have to keep making them over and over.” That meant… Ohhh! My blush intensified several times over at the thought of a repeat of the last week.

“You did make it clear to everyling that the last week wouldn't be mentioned to ANYONE, right?”

“The Canterlot ponies will never know.”

“Oh thank goodness… Did… Did I do good during that?”

“Yes. I rode you around and had you wave at several changeling… and Chrysalis.”

“It… It felt really good.” I blushed again, the thought of Ribbon riding me around again sometime in the future oddly appealing. “C-can we do it again sometime?”

“Sure, maybe add a few more scars?”

My blush intensified, as I tried to keep myself from picturing how that would happen. “I-i love y-you.”

“I love you too. I can feel the pills kicking in, let's go get Mirage.”

“O-okay.” I helped Ribbon off the bed, still blushing profusely. God, I just feel so flipping happy right now, yet I can’t help but stammer when I talk to Ribbon. At least now I know why she gets all lovey dovey after we have our fun. I walked beside her, a small bounce in my step. It didn’t even bother me that much when several changelings snickered as we walked by.

’Mama!’ Something plowed into me, revealing itself to be an overexcited Mirage, who was grinning happily, and now clinging to my face.

-Hello, Mirage.- I levitated Mirage off my face, and set her down on my back, where she curled up between my wings, giggling.

“Why don’t you take her to get some ice cream, I need to see the foreman and oversee the hives refurbishing.”

“Sounds like a good idea. I think Mirage would love that, right?”

“Ice cream!” Mirage begun clapping her hooves happily, causing my to smile. She looks adorable when she does that.

“Yes Mirage. Ice cream. Well, you go take care of you renovating, and then get some rest, I’ll take Mirage out for some frozen delight.” I gave Ribbon a final wave, before setting off to the surface. When I did get outside, I noticed several ponies staring at me with confused expressions on their faces… oh. They’ve never seen me when I’m not a least a little tense. I can see why someone they regard as evil incarnate acting even remotely like Pinkie simply does not compute.

I couldn't help but giggle at the stupefied expressions on their faces, they really have never seen me when I’m genuinely happy, and considering I wholly admit I usually don’t act very approachable, that this would come as quite a shock.

Ah, this is the place, Scoops ice cream parlor. Walking inside, I was surprised to encounter a familiar wall eyed pegasus, savoring a scoop of rainbow sherbert. “Derpy! wasn’t expecting to see you here!”

Derpy turned to look at me, a goofy smile on her face, like always. “Hi Chi! Uh… You do realize you have a baby changeling on your back, right?”

“Oh, thats right. You never knew, did you. Ribbon is a changeling… the same changeling that overthrew Chrysalis at the wedding. And well, she laid an egg.”

“She’s not a changeling, she’s a pegasus.”

“Derpy, changelings are shapeshifters, Ribbon’s a changeling.”

“She is? How come she never told me she laid an egg?!... Changelings lay eggs?”

“Yeah. Say hello to Mirage!” Mirage peeked over my shoulder and waved at Derpy.

“Hello little Mirage!” Immediately, her attention was back on me. “Do you think she’d let me see the egg?” I chuckled when she didn’t make the connection.

“Silly Derpy! Where do you think Mirage came from?”

“She’s Ribbons daughter?” Derpy let a squeal of joy and pick Mirage up off my back, hugging her. Mirage made a squeak, followed by several happy chirps. “Is she in Canterlot? I haven’t seen much of her in ponyville lately.”

“Yeah, the entire hive moved here, after several unfortunate events, that we are still trying to recover from.”

“What happened?”

“Griffons attacked the hive, and took everyone there.”

“Oh, no. When did it happen? clearly some of them escaped.”

“It happened shortly after that Tirek dude escaped Tartarus. And yeah, me and Ribbon, as well as the few changelings who weren't at the hive, staged a rescue operation. Ribbons still directing the efforts through the hivemind.” after saying this, I took a seat beside Derpy, and ordered two strawberry cheesecake ice creams. seriously, whoever came up with the idea to put cheesecake in strawberry ice cream, deserves a fucking nobel prize. I levitated one over to Mirage, who took a taste of it and squealed happily, before devouring it.

“So there are still some changelings that are missing?”

“Correct, and trust me, providing a distraction for two hundred plus changelings to escape was not easy.”

Mirage had dropped her cone, which I caught in my magic before it could hit the table, while she begun clutching her head. “Ahh! Mama it hurts!” Brainfreeze. One of the many things in life you only learn to avoid via experience.

“Easy Mirage, don’t eat the ice cream so fast. Even if it does taste wonderful.”

“Mama?”

“Long story, you do know what imprinting is, right?”

“So she thinks you’re her Mama and not Ribbon? That must really hurt.”

“Actually, she imprinted on both of us.”

“But why is that, Are you Ribbons special somepony?!” Derpy was beginning to squeal in excitement. And Mirage was eating her ice cream again, though, much more slowly.

I giggled. “Yes. Yes I am.”

“That’s great!”

“You would not believe how crazy it was the first time I met her. of course, back then, I was indistinguishable from the Nightmare.”

“How crazy was it? it couldn’t have that bad.”

“She thought I was going to eat her. It took me slamming my head into the floor on purpose to convince her that I wasn’t going to hurt her.”

“Why would she think that?”

“Well, being on the moon for a millennium, the line between rumor and fact became quite blurred. And there was a rumor that the Nightmare… Well, the fangs aren't just for show, If you get what I’m saying.”

“...You’re a vampony?!” She said in a whisper type yell.

“I’m sorry, but if I was, I would either catch fire in the sunlight, or it would cause me to… sparkle.” I shuddered as I said that. Why, why did they have to not only make such a shitty romance novel, but sequels, and then films.

“Oh… good.”

“lets just say the rumor was the Nightmare was not limited to a herbivorous diet.”

“You mean like… gems? Is that why you have dragon wings and eyes?”

“Um. No. I can well… eat meat.” I flinched, expecting her to flip out.

“... So you are a vampony!”

“I’m not a vampony, I’m an omnivore.” I had to resist the urge to facehoof at how Derpy wasn’t getting what I was implying.

“Admit it! You are a vampony, how else do you explain what happened to Twilight?! I’ll need to be more careful when I deliver her mail.” I heard her whisper that last part to herself.

I slowly applied hoof to face. My god, she really is dense at times. “Baka.” Mirage, I’m not sure if your refering to me or her at the moment.

“I just… wow. Clearly you've never heard of a thestral."

“I think you mean vampony.”

“Thestrals are omnivorous ponies with bat wings, most of which are surviving under Princess Luna in the Lunar guard… Baka.” Said the most unlikely of source.

I stared at Mirage, not expecting anything like that to come from her. "Someling helped you, I presume?" … She didn’t respond, she just went back to eating her ice cream which was almost gone. “It was Wendy, wasn’t it?” She still ignored me, it must of been Wendy. “Anyway, as Mirage explained, I’m effectively a cross between a thestral and an alicorn. As well as being a physical embodiment of darkness, but that's a totally different story.”

“Oh… you sure look like a vampony, but ok. Anyway, what about Ribbon? when can I see what she really looks like? Do you think she’d be able to turn into me?”

“Yes Derpy, she could.” Mirage had finished her ice cream, and let out a cute little burp, before she went up in familiar emerald flames of a transformation, revealing a miniature Derpy. “See? if Mirage could, Ribbon certainly could.” I then gave Mirage an amused look. “I know Wendy’s helping you now.”

Derpy stared at tiny Derpy, and tiny Derpy was staring back at her. I held my breath and waited for the eleventable freak out… I was right. Soon Derpy squealed and picked tiny Derpy up, much like she did earlier, all while giggling happily.

“The Derp has been doubled!” I giggled uncontrollably, the situation just too damn funny. “I swear Mirage, everything you do is cute.” I soon finished off my ice cream, watching as Mirage mirrored Derpys movements. Derpy stuck her tongue out making a silly face, which Mirage promptly mimicked, causing me to start laughing.

’Chi, we have a messenger from Queen Corona, the yellow changelings from before.’

-Just gimme a sec, and I’ll be right there.-

“Mirage, you're going to have to say bye to Derpy for now, something came up that we need to be at the hive for.”

Mirage chirped and waved bye to Derpy, before turning back to her normal form, and holding her hooves up, in a gesture for me to pick her up. After I had levitated her onto my back, I set off at a fast walk back to the hive.